Hana wore a purple Kimono like this upon arriving in San Fransisco
Picture Bride, by Yoshiko Uchida, follows the life of a young woman that immigrated to America, and also features the stories of her family and friends. The story starts with Hana Omiya, traversing the waters of the Pacific on an American Immigration ship. Hana endures the degrading tasks that immigration require of her, and as she does so, she reflects on how she got onto this heaving ship.
Hana grew up in Oka Village near Kyoto, Japan. She lives with her mother, her sister, and her sister’s husband. Hana has two other sisters, but they both married merchants and now live in Osaka and Nagoya. Hana, being the youngest, received the most education, and the education has caused her to become quite outspoken. This can be an issue when it comes to finding a husband. One evening, Hana’s uncle spoke about Taro Takeda, the son of a friend. Hana knew that she didn’t want to live her life like any of her sisters, so when she heard that Taro was looking for a wife she said to her uncle “Oji San, perhaps I should go to America and make this lonely man a good wife.”(Uchida, 3) Hana’s uncle had often spoken of Taro’s successful shop in America, so Hana assumed that she would be well cared for. What Taro’s shop was really like definitely shocked her.
Upon arrival in San Francisco, Hana stayed with Kiku and Hisakazu ‘Henry’ Toda. Hana attended Christian church with Taro that Sunday, where she met Kiyoshi Yamaka and Dr. Sojiro Kaneda. Yamaka was the only one in the church to own a car, and was a very close friend of Taro’s. Hana found herself infatuated with Yamaka, but was obliged to marry Taro. Within 3 weeks of coming to the US, Hana followed through with her promise, and was married to Taro. She started working and cleaning in his shop, and quickly picked up on the duties of the shop-keeper’s wife. Then the trouble started.
Taro, Dr. Kaneda, and the church minister were going on a day-long trip to the country, and Taro asked Hana to mind the shop for him. He asked Kiyoshi to check in on Hana, and Hana almost let herself fall into the clutches of infidelity. The next time she wasn’t that lucky. Taro made another trip out to the country, to help the poor, shunned Japanese farmers. Yamaka checked in on Hana again, and she briefly closed the shop so that they could have lunch upstairs in her and Taro’s apartment. Once he got back home, Taro received news of Hana closing the shop, and confronted Hana. “I know you have feelings for Kiyoshi Yamaka that you do not have for me.”(Uchida, 52)he said to her. Hana had kissed Kiyoshi, but then she sent him home, as she could not hurt Taro in such a way. Soon after, Kiyoshi Yamaka died of influenza, and Hana gave birth to a son. “a premature infant who did not even live long enough to utter one small cry.” (Uchida, 61)
After the death of Kiyoshi and their son, later named Ichiro, Taro and Hana had another child. This one, a girl, was named Mary Yukari. Taro had never truly forgiven Hana for her relationship with Yamaka, and he says to Mary as she sleeps in her crib “Mary Yukari, you are a good child, and you are my child. Hana’s and mine.”(Uchida, 64). Taro, Hana and Mary move out from the apartment above Taro’s store, and into a small house. On the eve of their moving in, four men arrive at the door and ask to speak to Taro. They say that “There’ve been some complaints from the neighborhood about having Japanese on this block.”(Uchida, 66). Taro calmly asks that any neighbors that have a problem with him or his family come and present their point to him directly. The family is never again bothered by neighbors. Kiku, Hana’s best friend, and her husband move out into the country and start working on a grape farm. They eventually are able to buy their own land, and Kiku has two sons, Kenny and Jimmy. Hana takes in a distraught student from the church, Kenji Nishima, and has to start working as a maid in the house of Mrs. Davis, a white woman.
Mary grows up very much American, and breaks her parents hearts. She starts dating a teacher’s assistant in her sophomore year of college. The man’s name is Joe Cantelli. She elopes to Reno after her junior year, and later has a child with him. Taro and Hana are heartbroken. They survive the shame of their daughter, but are soon confronted with the Japanese interment camps of World War II. Hana and Taro are sent first to Tanforan Racetrack, and are assigned an old stall as living quarters. Through the degrading experience, Hana and Taro have a small ray of light: setting up Nishima with Sumiko Mitosa. They are shocked to hear that Henry Toda has been shot on his porch, but are forced to move to another internment camp called ‘Topaz’. The final chapters of Picture Bride are of Taro and Hana’s life in Topaz, but you’ll have to read them for yourself.
Topaz, the internment camp
I would recommend reading this book if you have some time on your hands. The story itself is quite interesting, but Uchida doesn’t have the most interesting style of writing. The book itself was very good, despite the writing style, especially if you know some background or are interested in history.
Picture Bride, by Yoshiko Uchida, follows the life of a young woman that immigrated to America, and also features the stories of her family and friends. The story starts with Hana Omiya, traversing the waters of the Pacific on an American Immigration ship. Hana endures the degrading tasks that immigration require of her, and as she does so, she reflects on how she got onto this heaving ship.
Hana grew up in Oka Village near Kyoto, Japan. She lives with her mother, her sister, and her sister’s husband. Hana has two other sisters, but they both married merchants and now live in Osaka and Nagoya. Hana, being the youngest, received the most education, and the education has caused her to become quite outspoken. This can be an issue when it comes to finding a husband. One evening, Hana’s uncle spoke about Taro Takeda, the son of a friend. Hana knew that she didn’t want to live her life like any of her sisters, so when she heard that Taro was looking for a wife she said to her uncle “Oji San, perhaps I should go to America and make this lonely man a good wife.”(Uchida, 3) Hana’s uncle had often spoken of Taro’s successful shop in America, so Hana assumed that she would be well cared for. What Taro’s shop was really like definitely shocked her.
Upon arrival in San Francisco, Hana stayed with Kiku and Hisakazu ‘Henry’ Toda. Hana attended Christian church with Taro that Sunday, where she met Kiyoshi Yamaka and Dr. Sojiro Kaneda. Yamaka was the only one in the church to own a car, and was a very close friend of Taro’s. Hana found herself infatuated with Yamaka, but was obliged to marry Taro. Within 3 weeks of coming to the US, Hana followed through with her promise, and was married to Taro. She started working and cleaning in his shop, and quickly picked up on the duties of the shop-keeper’s wife. Then the trouble started.
Taro, Dr. Kaneda, and the church minister were going on a day-long trip to the country, and Taro asked Hana to mind the shop for him. He asked Kiyoshi to check in on Hana, and Hana almost let herself fall into the clutches of infidelity. The next time she wasn’t that lucky. Taro made another trip out to the country, to help the poor, shunned Japanese farmers. Yamaka checked in on Hana again, and she briefly closed the shop so that they could have lunch upstairs in her and Taro’s apartment. Once he got back home, Taro received news of Hana closing the shop, and confronted Hana. “I know you have feelings for Kiyoshi Yamaka that you do not have for me.”(Uchida, 52)he said to her. Hana had kissed Kiyoshi, but then she sent him home, as she could not hurt Taro in such a way. Soon after, Kiyoshi Yamaka died of influenza, and Hana gave birth to a son. “a premature infant who did not even live long enough to utter one small cry.” (Uchida, 61)
After the death of Kiyoshi and their son, later named Ichiro, Taro and Hana had another child. This one, a girl, was named Mary Yukari. Taro had never truly forgiven Hana for her relationship with Yamaka, and he says to Mary as she sleeps in her crib “Mary Yukari, you are a good child, and you are my child. Hana’s and mine.”(Uchida, 64). Taro, Hana and Mary move out from the apartment above Taro’s store, and into a small house. On the eve of their moving in, four men arrive at the door and ask to speak to Taro. They say that “There’ve been some complaints from the neighborhood about having Japanese on this block.”(Uchida, 66). Taro calmly asks that any neighbors that have a problem with him or his family come and present their point to him directly. The family is never again bothered by neighbors. Kiku, Hana’s best friend, and her husband move out into the country and start working on a grape farm. They eventually are able to buy their own land, and Kiku has two sons, Kenny and Jimmy. Hana takes in a distraught student from the church, Kenji Nishima, and has to start working as a maid in the house of Mrs. Davis, a white woman.
Mary grows up very much American, and breaks her parents hearts. She starts dating a teacher’s assistant in her sophomore year of college. The man’s name is Joe Cantelli. She elopes to Reno after her junior year, and later has a child with him. Taro and Hana are heartbroken. They survive the shame of their daughter, but are soon confronted with the Japanese interment camps of World War II. Hana and Taro are sent first to Tanforan Racetrack, and are assigned an old stall as living quarters. Through the degrading experience, Hana and Taro have a small ray of light: setting up Nishima with Sumiko Mitosa. They are shocked to hear that Henry Toda has been shot on his porch, but are forced to move to another internment camp called ‘Topaz’. The final chapters of Picture Bride are of Taro and Hana’s life in Topaz, but you’ll have to read them for yourself.
I would recommend reading this book if you have some time on your hands. The story itself is quite interesting, but Uchida doesn’t have the most interesting style of writing. The book itself was very good, despite the writing style, especially if you know some background or are interested in history.